The Lion King (2019)

Another live-action remake of a classic Disney animated movie, this film follows the story of young Simba, the lion born to be king of the Pride Lands.

I'm sure most people are aware of the majority of the plot details of the film, as the animated version was released back in 1994, but I will give a brief description of the plot before moving on to the actual review.

Simba (JD McCrary) is the lion cub, born to parents Mufasa (James Earl Jones) and Sarabi (Alfre Woodard), who by his birth becomes the next in line to rule the kingdom. This pushes his uncle, Mufasa's brother Scar (Chiwetel Ejiofor) off the top spot, and Scar becomes insanely jealous of the future king.

With the assistance of three hyenas, Kamari (Keegan-Michael Key), Azizi (Eric André) and Shenzi (Florence Kasumba), he hatches a plot to kill both Mufasa and Simba, and take over the kingdom for himself.

Scar (Chiwetel Ejoifor) and his band of hyenas.

Unbeknownst to him, however, Simba is not killed, but escapes and grows up (and is now voiced by Donald Glover) with new friends, meerkat Timon (Billy Eichner) and warthog Pumbaa (Seth Rogen), until such time as he is ready to return and challenge Scar for the title of king. Assisted by old friend Nala (Beyoncé Knowles-Carter), and former royal advisor hornbill Zazu (John Oliver), he mounts a mission to overthrow the new, terrible regime Scar has put in place.

If you are a fan of the original film, there is plenty here to enjoy and remember, while at the same time, plenty to discover and experience that is new.

The screenplay, by Jeff Nathanson, is very well-written, with some of the more significant sections of the film being identical to the original, to the point that there were large chunks of dialogue I could quote from memory due to my repeated watching of the animated version all those years ago. But there is also plenty of new material here that - while the main structure of the plot and characters are the same - brings the film into a new century and opens it up to a whole new audience.

Simba (Donald Glover) and Nala (Beyoncé Knowles-Carter).

The songs, with music by Elton John and lyrics by Tim Rice, are the same as we all remember. Every one of the songs from the animated film are there, with the inclusion of a couple of songs previously only present in the Broadway musical of a few years later. There is also one brand new song - entitled 'Spirit' - sung by Beyoncé, because if you've got Beyoncé in your film, you'd better make sure she sings at least one song, right?

The score, as separate from the songs, has been composed by film-scoring royalty Hans Zimmer, and is - as you might expect - incredible. Again, large chunks of the score are incredibly similar to the original animated film, but often with slightly different instrumentation and arrangement. However, there are many new themes and melodies developed throughout this film, all of which fit well with the songs composed by Elton John, unifying the soundtrack together as one complete entity.

Calling this film live-action is a little deceptive, however. Technically speaking, the film is still animated, using CGI animation to create the animals. However, it doesn't look like an animated film, as the animation is made to look extremely lifelike and realistic, right down to the natural behaviour of each of the animals. The standard of the visuals is absolutely top-notch and does not look unrealistic at any point (that is of course when the animals aren't singing or talking).

Young Simba (JD McCrary), Timon (Billy Eichner) and Pumbaa (Seth Rogen).

Caleb Deschanel's cinematography is absolutely beautiful, with plenty of contrast between light and dark, and good use of shadow. The African landscape is stunning, breathtaking, beautiful, and serves as the perfect backdrop for this epic story. The animated animals seem right at home in the authentic world, which only adds to the realistic feel of the movie.

All of the voice performers have been well cast in their respective roles, and do an incredible job. James Earl Jones as Mufasa is a clear standout, which is probably to be expected, as he is reprising the role he voiced in the original animated film. Eichner and Rogen are fabulous as comic duo Timon and Pumbaa, and have an excellent chemistry together. All the songs are performed brilliantly as well, and - while the lyrics are the same - have an updated feel to them here.

Director Jon Favreau has done an amazing job bringing the original animated film to life in a whole new way. As I mentioned already, if you're a fan of the original film, you simply must watch this. If you're not a fan of the original, then there is probably something wrong with you (ha ha). I will certainly be watching this many more times to come.

8 1/2 out of 10.